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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · press · field · rock · cabinet · net · row · mate

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. press — newspapers
  4. rock — music
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. mate — to breed
  12. press — to push
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. field — for sport
  15. net — in sport
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rock — a stone
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mate — a partner
  20. net — for catching
  21. press — a publisher
  22. mate — a friend
  23. fork — in a road
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com